The Biblical Overview of The Plan of God – Part 6

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The Biblical Overview of The Plan of God

Part 6 – The Day of Atonement

Who Does God Accept As an Atonement for The Sins of The People?

We are continuing in our series on the overview of the plan of God, and we have been seeing that God outlined His plan for mankind and has given us an overview of that plan in the annual holy day festivals which He gave to ancient Israel.

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples [Greek: tupos, types]: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

These festivals are types of the various steps that must be taken by all men of all time. They are divided up into three seasons, which tells us that there is a progression in our walk as well as a progression in the completion of God’s plan for the salvation of all men:

Deu 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:

2Ch 8:13 Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.

Here is the link to our study on the spiritual significance of the number three:

Numbers in Scripture – Three, The Process of Spiritual Completion

The first festival was in the Spring and was called the passover and the days of unleavened bread. On the day after the sabbath during the seven days of unleavened bread, a wave sheaf of the barley harvest was offered as the first of the firstfruits to God. This first firstfruit wave sheaf typified Christ as the first of the firstfruits to God.

1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

We also saw in our last study that this wave sheaf of the barley harvest was not the only “firstfruits unto God”.

Fifty days after the sabbath during the days of unleavened bread there was to be another firstfruit wave offering of the Summer wheat harvest. This wave offering of the Summer wheat harvest was to be the firstfruits of Christ’s labors at Passover. Here is what we are told of this second first fruit harvest:

Exo 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.

Here is the New Testament fulfillment of this second firstfruit harvest:

Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

So we learn that there are two separate firstfruits, and these two firstfruits are separated the first from the second by 50 days, and we saw that Christ died on the passover, was raised up from the dead and ascended up to His Father on the same day that the wave sheaf of the firstfruits of the spring barley harvest was offered up to God.

 This is what we are told in Leviticus, of that first fruit harvest in more detail:

Lev 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Lev 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.
Lev 23:18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.
Lev 23:19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
Lev 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD  for the priest.

“They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest” refers to this promise in the New Testament:

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

This is who this second firstfruit harvest at Pentecost symbolizes:

Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.

This second ‘firstfruit’ harvest is “the firstfruits… unto the Lamb”, and it is used of “the Lamb” in the same way as He was used of His Father as God’s firstfruit of the Spring harvest:

Joh 17:18 As thou [the Father] hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Christ was sent by His Father to be the firstfruits of them that slept and to atone for the sins of all mankind of all time:

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Not for ours only” proves beyond any doubt that we are “a kind of firstfruits”, and if we are indeed called “a kind of firstfruits” by being in the first resurrection, then there has to be a later harvest which is not called ‘firstfruits’:

Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the [first] firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming [the second, Summer, pentecost first fruits “for the priests”].
1Co 15:24 Then cometh the [harvest at the] end [of the year], when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. [The last of which is death]

1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

If we cannot say “we [are] a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” and if we cannot say we are priests who are the first fruits who are “holy unto the Lord”, then we are denying who we are, and Christ will deny us.

Luk 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
Luk 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

Just who are we if indeed we are given to say that “we [are] a kind of firstfruits of His creatures”? This is who Christ Himself tells us we are:

Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

It is Christ who tells us that those who Saul of Tarsus was persecuting are “Jesus of Nazareth”, and it is the Truth of that statement, and the depths of the Truth of that statement, that we are looking at in this study.

In our last study we read the verses in Exodus and Leviticus which make clear that all of the sacrifices typify Christ, who came and died to make an atonement for the sins of all men. We saw that as the Christ of Christ, whom He “sent into the world as [His Father] sent [Him] into the world”, we, too, are sacrificed for the sins of the world and are sacrificed for the salvation of mankind and are to die for the salvation of all mankind just as Christ was afflicted and died for the salvation of all mankind:

2Co 1:6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

We see that the Old and the New Testaments both bear witness to the fact that the sacrifice of the Lord’s goat, that is Christ, is lacking something to effectuate the salvation of mankind and that the sins of all men are placed upon “that which is lacking”, the “living sacrifice” just as much as they are placed upon the Lord’s goat, who had to physically die for our sins.

Lev 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, [with Christ, “the Lord’s goat”] and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

How does the scapegoat, who is “presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with… the Lord’s goat”, accomplish that atonement? Here is how that is done:

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Does the New Testament truly teach that there is something that is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sins of all men? Indeed it does:

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

The apostle Paul is labeled a false prophet by some who cannot accept that his epistles were inspired by God, but for us that is not an issue, and we believe that when he tells us that he is “fill[ing] up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in [his] flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” that he is also telling us to “follow [him] as [he is] follow[ing] Christ”:

1Co 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Paul is not speaking exclusively of himself. He wants us all to think of ourselves as the scapegoat which is “presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with [Christ].

Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, [with Christ, “the Lord’s goat”] and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

Knowing who we are, and understanding that our afflictions are as much a part of the atonement for the sins of the world as are Christ’s, explains what the day of atonement coming at the end of the Summer, in the Fall of the year, symbolizes. Ten days after the feast of trumpets, which we demonstrated in an earlier study symbolizes the judgments and wars that take place in the lives of Christ’s summer firstfruits, comes the Day of Atonement which shows us those who are used with Christ to atone for the sins of the world.

We are now continuing to demonstrate what it is that makes an atonement for sins:

Lev 14:19 And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering:
Lev 14:20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

The sin offering, the burnt offering and the meat offering are all to “make an atonement for him…” And who is all these offerings?

1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

And again, who is Christ? Who “makes an atonement for him”?

Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

Now consider what we are told we are to do along with our Savior:

Heb 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
Heb 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

We are admonished “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing His reproach“. The apostle Paul, who encourages us to “follow me as I follow Christ”, has just instructed us how we go about ‘going forth unto Him… bearing His reproach”.

Col 1:24 Now, am I rejoicing in the sufferings on your behalf, and am filling up the things that lack of the tribulations of the Christ, in my flesh, in behalf of his body, which is the assembly, (REV)

It was Christ’s sufferings which were on our behalf, and here we have the apostle telling us that his (Apostle Paul’s) sufferings were also for the same purpose, and we are to follow him as he follows Christ.

1Co 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ,

The apostle Peter admonishes us to follow in Christ’s footsteps:

1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Those words are read and preached by most churches, but not one in a million would dare to agree with the apostle that you or I following in Christ’s steps “fills up what is behind of [Christ’s] afflictions”, or that our following in His footsteps means that our “affliction… is for your… salvation”. Not one in a million would think that he could “save a soul from death”.

2Co 1:6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

Jas 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

The bodies of the beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the priest for sin, were “burned without the camp”, and we are told that our sufferings are “on your behalf”, and we are admonished “Let us go forth unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach”. Truly “as He is so are we in this world”, and truly we are to “follow in His steps”:

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

The day of atonement is the day which symbolizes those who “make an atonement, and bear the sins of the people”, along with Christ our passover sacrifice. Those who are sent by our heavenly Father to “make an atonement for, [and] bear the sins of the people” are Christ and His Christ, as typified by the two goats as a sin offering:

Lev 16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar [which are all types of Christ], he shall bring the live goat [the Christ of Christ]:
Lev 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited [death, “the wages of sin” Rom 6:23]: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness [dying daily].

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

That being the case, this day of atonement signifies the function of those who bear the sins of the people and make an atonement for them with Christ. This is actually what we, the firstfruits of Christ, are repeatedly told to do:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Earlier in Leviticus 16 we are told that both goats, the Lord’s goat and the scapegoat, are sin offerings “to make an atonement with him”.

Lev 16:5 And he [Aaron, the high priest] shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Lev 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

In Heb 13:13 we are told: “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach“. It was recently pointed out that Simon of Cyrene, who was “compelled… to bear [Christ’s] cross… without the camp”, was a New Testament type of this scapegoat who is also compelled to “bear His reproach, [and] make an atonement with [Christ]”. Indeed, that is exactly what this day of atonement typifies:

Lev 23:27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Lev 23:28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.
Lev 23:29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
Lev 23:30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
Lev 23:31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

Mat 27:32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

No one volunteers to die with Christ. “No man can come to [Christ] except the Father… drag him” to do so:

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw [Greek: drag] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

All holy days are sabbaths simply because we have no choice and no room to glory in any of the work God is doing to work out His plan and His purpose. It is all of Him and there is nothing we bring to the table. That is what “whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.”

1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

What this tells us is that every step in the plan of God in the life of every man or woman is a work which He is working in the very order in which it is laid out in the holy days. The passover lamb is the same as “the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell”. But the atonement for the sins of all men is not made without both of these goats. The scapegoat is absolutely essential “to make an atonement with him”, meaning with “the Lord’s goat”, and with the scapegoat.

So the truth is that Israel, by God’s design, is not cleansed by the blood of the first goat alone. It requires the work of both of these goats “to make an atonement” for the sins of the people. Are we actually told that we are to consider ourselves to be part of the sin offering which is made for the sins of the people? Let’s read it again:

Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

Let us also notice once more that “bearing His reproach” is exactly what the scapegoat, the Old Testament type of “our Lord’s Christ” did:

Lev 16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
Lev 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

“The hand of a fit man” refers to Christ Himself, living within His own elect who are symbolized by the goat whose body is offered as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.” As His elect, we are all, at this very moment, being “sent away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness” that is this world. The “land not inhabited” is the symbol of our death of the cross.

Jer 6:8 Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.

Eze 26:20 When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;

That death of the cross is being borne by both Christ and His Christ as an atonement for the sins of the people.

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

When we lay down our lives as an atoning sacrifice for our brother who has sinned against both us and against his Creator, with Christ in us, we have fulfilled the day of atonement just as Christ Himself fulfilled the passover as the first of the firstfruits. That is the spiritual significance of this “day of atonement”. This is not easy to do, and simply acknowledging its meaning will cause us to be hated of all men. But we have been given mercy from our heavenly Father through those who have done the same for us. If we appreciate the mercy we have been shown, then we will not be demanding retribution from God upon our enemies, inward or outward. It is this “forgiveness… from the heart” which proves us to be fit to be a nation of kings and priests who will be capable and worthy of judging this world and then later judging angels.

This is the joy that is set before those who are represented by the day of atonement:

1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 2:25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The “saints”, “us”, and “we” in all of these verses are the elect who identify themselves as the four beasts and the four and twenty elders who are around the throne of God and who are called “overcome[rs]” in Revelation 2-3.

Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

These are the firstfruit harvest of the feast of Pentecost. These are the atonement of the day of atonement. These are those who are called and chosen and who remain faithful to the end:

Mat 10:21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

This scapegoat is as much a part of the sin offering for Israel and is “the Lord’s goat” and is “presented before the Lord to make an atonement with Him”, with Christ. What we are being told is that we are to drink of the cup of Christ, and we are to be baptized with His baptism as a living sacrifice to fill up what is lacking of the afflictions of the Christ:

Mar 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

While being the firstfruits of the wheat at Pentecost is the greatest honor that can be bestowed upon any man, it is not an honor that is desired or attained except by very few indeed. This is just how popular this calling is which we have been given:

Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Being called and chosen is still not all that is required of those who are given to be in that blessed and holy first resurrection. There is one more gift that must be given to all who are granted to be in that “blessed and holy… first resurrection”, and this is that final requirement:

Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

“Endureth to the end” means that those who are in that blessed and holy first resurrection are faithful to the very end, as we read in these verses:

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue [Greek: abide – “to the end”] in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful [“to the end”].

Conclusion

The spiritual significance of the day of atonement is the death of Christ and His Christ, “to make an atonement with Him”. Its spiritual significance is also demonstrated by the atonement which is wrought by the sacrifice of the Lord’s goat and the scapegoat:

Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

What is not revealed in the offering of these two goats, one of which is called “a scapegoat”, is the fact that this scapegoat, as “an atonement with [Christ]”, has the same spiritual significance as the day of atonement:

Lev 23:28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.

So the day of atonement symbolizes that part of our lives which are given to Christ and His Christ as a “living sacrifice”:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice [an atonement], holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

There was much more to being an atonement than simply dying for the sins of God’s people. Christ and the apostle Paul reveal why the day of one’s death is better than the day of his birth (Ecc 7:1). This is why, and this is the fruit of the day of atonement, the afflicting of our souls:

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

2Co 1:6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

Atonement brings forth “much fruit” both for the “living sacrifice” whose afflictions produce life in others, as well as the life that is produced within that “corn of wheat”. Those who are the day of atonement will also be the atoning firstfruits of the first resurrection. It is they who will rule this world first and then judge angels. We are already enjoying the blessing of that first resurrection in down payment form:

Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

It is the day of atonement and the giving up of this life which will give us access to that “blessed and holy… first resurrection”. It is only those who are in that resurrection who will then live and reign with Christ as the kings and priests who will judge this world “a thousand years”, to be followed by the judging of angels in the lake of fire.

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

And that will be the subject of our next study, which will cover the spiritual meaning of the feast of tabernacles and the last great day, the last two steps in the plan of God for the salvation of all. Outwardly and dispensationally, we will see what the scriptures reveal about how God will raise up from the grave all who have ever died, and how He will halt the constant influx of new “corruptible… flesh and blood” in the form of millions of babies being born every day. We will see how the aions will come to an end and God will, through Christ and His first fruit harvest, at last be “all in all”.

1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1Co 15:27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

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